Mathewes-Green, Frederica, First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press 2006). Hardback, 195 pages. ISBN: 1-55725-469-9.

Reviewed by: Mary C. Sheridan, St. Elias School of Orthodox Theology

Word Count: 2416 words

Before any comment is made in this review, it must be made clear that this book of devotional readings for Orthodox Lent written by an Orthodox Christian is reviewed by a Western Catholic. The Canon of St. Andrew was new to this reviewer and it probably is new to other Western Christians and in some cases perhaps even some Orthodox. This book explains not only the Canon of St. Andrew, it also includes references to Old Testament and New Testament stories that are part of the Canon, includes commentary on the verses of the Canon, and includes considerations for meditation for each day of Lent. Mathewes-Green explains that St. Andrew wrote many hymns but he was also responsible for "devising a new form of hymn called a canon."^[1] Mathewes-Green explains that this Great Canon was developed from the nine Biblical Canticles sung (or said) every day at Matins. Thus, this hymn of epic length was based on prayers sung (or said) by monks as a way of beginning each day of their lives in the monastery. This Canon is prayed in four parts on the first four nights of the first week of Lent.^[2] Then St Andrew’s Canon is sung in its entirety in the Compline^[3] service of the Friday night before Palm Sunday.^[4]

The Canon is composed of 250 verses sung by the chanters. Each of these verses is followed by a response sung (or said) by the congregation. Mathewes-Green notes that during the response to each verse, the worshipers make the sign of the cross and bow; some bow to touch the floor; others make a full prostration. Participation at this level of involvement adds a dimension that is likely close to physically exhausting but that adds to the mystical experience. Mathewes-Green states that a solemn celebration of the Canon of St. Andrew can take four hours.

After having read through this Great Canon and even chanted^[5] it silently to herself, this reviewer came away from the Canon of St. Andrew with a sense of the majesty and awesome ability of this beautiful prayer to transport the reader (or chanter) to a very spiritual experience. But first an explanation of the Great Canon is in order.

St. Andrew wrote more than one Canon and this particular prayer is referred to as the "Great Canon." Mathewes-Green explains the Great Canon is based on nine Biblical canticles: There is one each from Exodus, Deuteronomy, 1 Samuel, Habbakuk, Isaiah, and Jonah; there are two canticles from Daniel (all these are from the Old Testament); and the last canticle is from the Gospel according to Luke in the New Testament. In addition, the full celebration at the annual services of the Great Canon includes a reading of the life of St. Mary of Egypt.

Mathewes-Green is careful to point out that to fully appreciate the mystical beauty of the Canon of St. Andrew the person singing or saying this epic-length prayer must enter into the religious experience as the early Christians did, that is, in a "primary sense."^[6] However, this reviewer questions the example Mathewes-Green uses to explain the phenomenon to which she refers: "I went to the dentist today and experienced getting a tooth pulled." Why such a negative example? How about a positive example? For instance, "I met an group of old friends today and had a wonderful time"; or "I had lunch in a park under the trees, felt the warmth of the sun, heard the beauty of the birds singing, reveled in the glory of the flowers, and felt the grass under my hands and feet"; or "I went to see the Monet exhibit and was awed by its beauty." This is a small point, but I wonder if an experience of a visit to the dentist, usually considered a negative experience, is any more compelling an experience than a positive one. A small, picky, criticism.

A larger issue I have with Mathewes-Green is what this reviewer sees as a simplistic division of Christians into Eastern and Western with no distinction among Western Christians. (This reviewer refuses to speculate on the differences among the various Orthodox groups: Russian, Greek, Oriental, Maronite, etc.) Throughout her book Mathewes-Green seems to make no distinction between Western Catholics and Western Protestants. Mathewes-Green states: "All versions of Western Christianity appear to be sides of the same prism"^[7] and states that with "many [Western] Christians...it’s all about emotions."^[8] Some Western Catholics would find this statement somewhat alienating and even incorrect. Her statement is liable to lead some readers to think the Canon of St. Andrew is limited only to prayerful use by Eastern Christians. Perhaps the problem is that Mathewes-Green does not distinguish between the various groups of Western Christians. All Western Catholics are hardly "all about emotions." She seems to think that Western Catholics and the various Western Protestant groups are all cut from the same cloth. This reviewer would argue that both Eastern Christians (the term Mathewes-Green uses throughout her book) and Western Catholics have more in common than Western Catholics and some Western Protestants, e.g., Eastern Christians and Western Catholics believe in Transubstantiation whereas Western Catholics and some Western Protestants (e.g., Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians) do not believe in Transubstantiation.

However, these issues are minor compared to the beauty of the Canon of St. Andrew.

Mathewes-Green points out the themes of the Canon of St. Andrew. It is clear to this reviewer that a thorough knowledge of the fascinating stories of the Judges, Kings, Chronicles, and Prophets is necessary to appreciate the references in the verses of the Canon of St. Andrew. Mathewes-Green carefully indicates for each verse (irmos) the respective Biblical reference and in most cases explains many of the more obscure aspects of the stories. Mathewes-Green also notes these major themes of the Canon of St. Andrew: sin, repentance, humility, and justice. Each of these themes is interpreted in specific ways:

• Sin. Mathewes-Green states sin is not seen in terms of "bad deeds that merit punishment."^[9] Rather, sin is seen as a kind of dishonesty with ourselves; such dishonesty is described by the Canon of St. Andrew as "wounds...inflicted inwardly" on ourselves (verse 12). She also notes that, "the murky realm of our sins is something we don’t even understand very well."^[10] To further expand this thought, Mathewes-Green notes that verses 8 and 67 of the Canon speak of sin as a killing of conscience—even a kind of suicide.
• Repentance. Mathewes-Green emphasizes that repentance is not so much a matter of our going to God to seek forgiveness but rather defines repentance as God rushing "to rescue us."^[11] Mathewes-Green also states that, "it is all right for this [repentance] to take a very long time."^[12] Her commentary on verse 317 further notes that because of repentance, "We are able...to be even more honest about ourselves, to face deeper truths that we could not admit before." Part of this theme of repentance in the Canon of St. Andrew is the reading of the hagiography of St. Mary of Egypt who is referred to throughout the Canon. One problem that this reviewer has with hagiographies in general is that they make sainthood "safe." Such stories are so divorced from the reality that today’s ordinary Christians live that the truths inherent in the life story of the saint(s) simply do not apply to ordinary Christians; so ordinary Christians think the truths included in the hagiographies do not apply to them. This reviewer longs for stories of the lives of saints that are of a nature that ordinary Christians can apply to their ordinary life. For instance, let us hear some of the heroic stories of the people who performed heroic Christian acts during and after Hurricane Katrina. But in all fairness perhaps this horrific storm took place after this book was written. Or let us hear of the lives of those martyred in Central and South America at the end of the twentieth century. However, this reviewer realizes that the nature of the Canon of St. Andrew is such that contemporary stories of saints’ lives cannot be included in the Canon. But two possibilities come to mind: The life of St. Mary of Egypt might have been given an explanation and commentary that would make her story applicable to present-day Christians and/or examples in the commentary and considerations might have been given of saints in contemporary times.
• Humility. Mathewes-Green defines humility as the courage "to admit the truth about ourselves"^[13] and the ability to forgive and show love to people we may consider enemies.^[14] Humility as truth is a concept that has appealed to this reviewer for years. Admitting to our short comings, weaknesses, and offenses against others with no excuses, glossing over, or minimization of our failings takes the courage to which Mathewes-Green refers. Admitting our good points may also take courage; it takes courage to realize the limitations of the good aspects of our person and/or to see how we can further improve the good aspects of our person.
• Justice. This theme is a complex one. Justice is defined as a relationship of "peaceful unity" with the "members of the community" and as a harmonious relationship with God. ^[15] Considering that today’s world is a global community allows for some serious thought regarding justice.
• Intimacy. A concept not often considered part of justice is intimacy. Mathewes-Green points out that "knowledge [in the Garden of Eden] was the realization that the beloved companion was...not wholly trustworthy."^[16] One concludes that real intimacy then includes being trustworthy to the "other" in a relationship. This aspect of the concept of trustworthiness applies both to our relationship with God and to our relationships with other persons. Mathewes-Green elaborates in another place^[17] that unhealthy (this reviewer’s word) emotions such as resentment or lack of forgiveness are like "unworthy garments" we wear.
• Sexual desire. Mathewes-Green notes that sexual desire in itself is no more sinful than hunger or thirst. Treating others as "objects to be acquired, used, and discarded,"^[18] however, is a breaking of the harmonious relationship that is a part of justice. What a unique concept in today’s society.

Another valuable contribution Mathewes-Green includes in her commentary is her translations of three specific words that open meanings not considered in the translations available in most Bibles.

• Verse 109 of the Canon of St. Andrew refers to the concept of Jesus’ power, as in Luke 8.46 where Jesus states he perceived "power has gone forth from me." Mathewes-Green notes that Greek has two words for power where English has only one. Greek dynamis (power) is matched by energia (energy). Dynamis refers to the explosive material lying inert; energia refers to the explosion itself.^[19] She quotes St. Paul twice to explain: "according to His energy [dynamis] energizing [exploding] in me" (Colossians 1.29) and "for God is [exploding] in me" (Philippians 2.13). Compare the much weaker translations from The New Oxford Annotated Bible, "striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me" and "for God is at work in you" respectively—a "massive" difference.
• Verse 135 of the Canon of St. Andrew has the words, "He will instruct my feet unto perfection." Mathewes-Green points out that the Greek here refers to mountain sheep that can walk and seek food and refuge in the highest, most distant, steepest parts of the mountainside. Picture the Christian compared to the mountain sheep scaling, traversing, and roaming the precipitate areas of spiritual heights.

This reviewer has another personal favorite in the Canon of St. Andrew: the many references to the Theotokos, the Mother of God. A cursory check noted at least nineteen verses dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Verses 315 to 321 of the Canon of St. Andrew are the Magnificat, that beautiful hymn of Mary, the Mother of God. Specifically, this reviewer would point out verse 87, "Hail, Womb that held God!...Hail, Mother of our Life." What a celebration of womanhood. In her meditative considerations Mathewes-Green notes^[20] that as early as 150 A.D. the Mother of God "was treated with great affection." She cites as evidence of the affection of early Christians for Mary, the Mother of God, the Protoevangelium of James. This reviewer thinks of the third century fresco of the Mother of God.^[21] She appears as an ordinary woman holding an infant. In pictures and words Mary, The Theotokos, was honored even in the Early Christian Small Study Groups and the early Church. Beautiful, just beautiful.

This reviewer has one other small criticism regarding Mathewes-Green’s commentary on verse 139; this verse speaks of polytheism. Mathewes-Green refers only to "ancient polytheistic faiths."^[22] Again, this reviewer would like to see some contemporary examples of polytheism that might be included in the consideration offered for meditation, e.g., materialism, the acquiring of "things" only for the purpose of having what everybody else has; the ensuing major problem of credit card debt and its many concomitant ramifications are concepts that in this reviewer’s opinion are part of modern day polytheism. But again, this is a minor criticism compared to the very major positive aspects of the Canon of St. Andrew and Mathewes-Green’s extensive commentary and meditative considerations.

Lastly, this reviewer followed the admonition of Mathewes-Green to pray, even chant (albeit the reviewer did her chanting internally and in a Western manner rather than an Eastern manner) the Canon and to allow the Canon to "soak into your bones." The result of using Mathewes-Green’s advice was a beautiful, wonderful, holy experience. Mathewes-Green notes^[23] that, "early Christians understood that the human person is a unity composed of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual elements, and the separation of the body from the rest is both unnatural and temporary." What a contemporary comment; how "modern" the early Christians were.

This reviewer has gleaned from First Fruits of Prayer only a few of the major points (as she saw them) and only a few of the major thoughts that appealed to her. Without doubt each reader, each "pray-er" of this Canon will find his/her own major concepts.

This reviewer wholeheartedly recommends the use of this book as a Lenten prayer, one full of careful, thoughtful comments and meditations, to say nothing of the beauty of the Canon itself. When read with the care and attention Mathewes-Green recommends, allowing the prayer to "soak into one’s bones" one can only come away with an experience that is mystical, holy, and bound to lead the "pray-er" to spiritual considerations that can only advance his/her growth as a Christian.

Notes:

[1] P. xxxiii.

[2] P. xxxvi.

[3] Matins is the prayer said by monks and nuns who by definition live in monasteries. Matins is the prayer usually said in the very early hours after midnight to begin the day; Compline is said just before the monk or nun retires to bed or rest after a day of hard work and intense prayer. Often priests or sisters (in Western Christianity) participate in this prayer of the Church for the world.

[4] P. 104.

[5] This reviewer found that the Great Canon could easily be adapted to Gregorian Chant used in the singing of the hours in Western Catholicism.

[6] P. xi.

[7] P. xii.

[8] P. xi.

[9] P. 6.

[10] P. 146.

[11] P. xxxv.

[12] P. xxxviii.

[13] P. 8.

[14] P. 64.

[15] P. 104.

[16] P. 20.

[17] P. 74.

[18] P. 26.

[19] P. 52.

[20] P. 150.

[21] Fabriciano Ferrero, C.Ss.R., The Story of an Icon: The Full History, Tradition and Spirituality of the Popular Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Redemptorist Publications, Cambridge, England, first published in Spain 1994, English translation and paperback edition first published March 2001, reprinted November 2001, p. 54.

[22] P. 60.

[23] P. 176.